My toe stings,
hundreds of feet stomped
it flat.
Elbow of one digs into my back, a possible bruise to cherish later.
I see an open opportunity and I sit
The elderly lady steps in- pushes her way forward
glasses crooked, and looks to me
with her dark condescending eyes;
interrupts my self-wallowing moment,
scans me from head to toe,
and asks me to get up with her deadpan expression.
Rude.
Bitter taste of regret bubbles in my throat.
The armpit odor of the shaggy-haired
guy next to me permeates my nostrils.
I keep my face neutral like
my muscles have seized up.
The windows shake with every small bump
and jostles the people side to side.
One hard push on the break,
wheels creak
and we’re all lurching forward.
Piles of bodies falling on each other
struggling to stay upright,
Holding onto flesh or railings.
The chatter seems to get louder with every passing moment
I can hear someone narrating their
whole life story, an autobiography no one asked for.
Sweat collects on my upper lip and
beads of it streak down my forehead
It is stifling.
My plantar fascia hurts
and I’m wobbling on my legs.
Grim faces surround me,
Tiredness run through the veins
mixes in with the blood.
This kid’s shrilly noises irritates my ear
and my body wants to go apeshit.
The elbow is still digging in my back,
my teeth are
splinters, from gritting hard.
The bus sighs again,
while taking on even more people
then there is space.
The 99 B-line is complete and utter hell.
Human interaction turns me off
and I fold into myself even more.
Make subtle pushes, here and there,
waiting for my own stop.
And praying,
not to be written up
for demonstrated
public violence.
Learning Significance